Goodbye Days (A NaLu Fanfiction)
by WordsTurnToStories
Summary: One choice. One action. One curse. And...two Lucy's! When she leaves Fairy Tail only to discover that she's under some sort of curse, Lucy comes back six months later, seeking help to break it. They must each pass a test to see if they are strong enough. Strong enough to fight off the darkness, also known as Lucy's twin brother.
1. Prologue

**Devastation and Determination-**

**A Nalu Fanfiction**

**Prologue**

Lucy was sprawled on the floor on her stomach, aching all over. She stared up at Natsu, who's fists were clenched in a fighting position, on fire.  
He glared down on her as tears sprang in her eyes as she struggled to get up, but fell once more.

Natsu gritted his teeth, then yelled loudly at her, "Get up, you stupid girl! You deserve this!"

But Lucy didn't deserve anything. She didn't deserve to be punished for what she had done. It was just a mistake, a big one, but a mistake nonetheless.

She finally managed to get up in a sitting position and winced. She touched her right cheek lightly with her finger, knowing a big bruise would form there soon.

The fire mage was losing his patience and yelled once more, hate in his eyes for the blonde before him. "Pathetic," he scoffed. "You're weak! Didn't I tell you to get up!"

Lucy began to cry, and she silently scolded herself for doing so. "No. Please don't make me."

She hated how her voice shook. She shouldn't be afraid, but she was. Terrified even. She knew that Natsu could kill her in an instant, but as hard as she tried, she couldn't find the power to stand up.

Natsu frowned. "Then have it your way."

He slowly made his way to where the girl was sitting, and kicked her. Hard.

Lucy flew through the air and crashed into the wall behind her. She yelped in pain and continued to cry even harder as she sank to the floor, exhausted.

"Natsu, please stop! I'm sorry!" she pleaded desperately, certain she had broken a few bones here and there.

The other guild members were all sitting at the tables, watching Natsu continue to beat up Lucy as quietly as possible. They were all ashamed of her, even Wendy and Happy, the two who usually forgave people for just about anything.

But as Natsu delivered a direct punch to the celestial spirit mage's left cheek, she decided enough was enough.

No more, she thought bitterly. This is too much.

Lucy gathered up all her strength and picked herself up and off of the guild floor. "Okay!" she screamed at Natsu, who looked at her, surprised.

Everyone in the room peered at her curiously. What was she doing?

Natsu cocked his head to the right and smirked. "What's this? You're going to fight me, Lucy?"

This was not the Natsu she knew. This Natsu cared more about the reputation of the guild more than how his friends felt. He was delusional. But had she really ruined the title of 'The Number 1 Guild in Fiore,' for them?

Lucy sucked in her breath, and looked around the room at all her friends. She couldn't believe what she was about to do. It was the hardest decision she was going to make in her entire life, but she had to.

She turned to face Natsu again, who was now patiently waiting to see what she was going to do.

"I quit!" Lucy yelled angrily, walking up to Natsu and pushing past him. "I quit this stupid guild! I made a mistake! So what! Doesn't everybody make them!"

Lucy was near the entrance of Fairy Tail, and she whirled around to face everyone one last time. Her bangs covered her eyes, casting shadows over her them. "If you were really my nakama, you would forgive me, no matter what."

And with that, she pushed open the doors of the guild she had come to love, the guild that she was going to leave forever, and she exited with a heavy heart, leaving her now ex-friends behind, shocked at her sudden declaration.

That was all it took for everything to change from then on.

Nothing would be the same.

••••••••••

**Just to those who don't know, nakama means friend or friends in Japanese.**

**So I made this idea up a few months ago, probably in the week I first started watching Fairy Tail :)**

**Please read the first chapter before saying this is horrible, otherwise leave without giving me hate if you don't like it. XD**

**Love and fuzzy peaches,**

**-Jennel**


	2. Chapter 1

"Natsu, we're going on a job!"

**Chapter 1-**

**Bring Her Back Home! To Fairy Tail!**

Happy flew over to his partner in crime, who was currently sitting at the bar of Fairy Tail, the number one guild in Fiore. He was stuffing his face with who-knows-what, and he paused just long enough to glance up at the blue cat hovering in the air, his mouth full.

"Where is it?" Natsu mumbled after swallowing his food.

It has been six months since Lucy left, six months since they've last seen her. Most of the guild members chose to forget about it, and Natsu was one of them.

If Lucy's name was mentioned, everyone would freeze and go stiff for a few minutes, but then just shake their heads and decide to ignore whatever the person had said and go back to whatever they were doing.

Of course, no one could deny that feeling of emptiness that they felt ever since the celestial sprit mage disappeared. She was a big part of their lives.

"It's just in Haregon," Happy replied. "Basically we have to take out a group of thief's. Doesn't sound to hard, right?"

Natsu shook his head. "Not at all. Let's go! Erza! Gray!"

The red haired woman who was busy eating a slice of cake-no, make that _three huge_slices of cake, put her fork down and calmly walked over to where Natsu was sitting.

A few seconds later, the ice mage came over too. "What is it?" Erza asked, looking longingly over her shoulder at her unfinished cake.

"I'm taking a job by myself, if that's okay with you guys. It isn't that hard."

Gray nodded and rolled his eyes. "Sure, flame-brain. I don't care what you do."

"I agree," Erza said quickly, just wanting to eat her cake. "Be careful."

As soon as she finished saying that, she rushed over to finish her food, while Gray went over to Cana and the Master, who seemed to be having a drinking contest. Typical.

Natsu stood up and started to run toward the door. "C'mon Happy!"

The Exceed beamed. "Aye sir!" he said, following his best friend.

From a table in a corner, Levy watched Natsu leave from afar. She shook her head, a small, but sad smile forming on her face.

Mira noticed this and went over to her. "What's with the expression?"

The blue haired book worm looked up. "Oh, hi Mirajane!"

Mira smiled warmly at her. "So whatcha thinking?" she questioned, sitting across Levy.

Levy sighed. "Sometimes...Sometimes I wonder if Natsu still cares about what happened to Lucy. He's changed, Mira."

She nodded and looked down at her hands in her lap. "Yes," she said quietly. "I have noticed. Ever since that day, Natsu keeps his feelings hidden away from the rest of us. But even so, he still seems as happy-go-lucky and dense as ever. I also worry about him sometimes though."

Levy chuckled softly and grinned. "What is it?" Mira asked.

"You know, I think that maybe, just maybe, that Natsu liked Lucy some time ago. When I think about it, it's kind of funny."

Mirajane laughed and looked over at the guild door where Natsu was just a few minutes ago.

"You know, you might just be right about that."

But what Levy and Mirajane didn't notice, was that a few feet away, Lisanna had heard their entire conversation. Her eyes narrowed, and she clenched her jaw. The reason?

Well, she was Natsu's girlfriend.

**[Author: -_-]**

••••••••••

"Naaatsuuu!" Happy wailed. "Would you wait up!"

They were in the town of Hargeon now, and Natsu kept on running too fast, eager to find the bad guys. Natsu stopped and turned around, waiting for Happy to catch up to him.

"You're so slow! Hurry up!" he said, crossing his arms.

As they were walking, (Natsu finally agreed to not run) Happy suddenly remembered something. "Natsu, Natsu!"

"Hmm?" the fire mage said, stopping to look where the blue cat was pointing to. "What is it? Why are you pointing to the ground? I don't see anything."

"That's where we first met Lucy!"

Happy gasped and covered his mouth, realizing he shouldn't have said anything, but Natsu just shrugged.

"Yeah, so? It's not special or anything."

Happy frowned, but didn't say anything. This time, there was no talking while they traveled.

"We're almost here!" Natsu yelled at one point. "We're running now! Er...well you're flying."

Natsu started sprinting, Happy zooming behind him.

But then he stopped running and turned around to take a look at the spot Happy had pointed to. He sighed.

_Lucy..._

Happy noticed this and smirked.

"He liiikes her," he giggled to himself.

••••••••••

_A few minutes earlier..._

"Yes, ma'am?"

"Do you mind doing this for me? I already asked a nearby guild to take care of things, but I'm not sure if the request got there," an elderly woman asked a young girl.

"What is it?"

"There was a group of thief's or robbers here last night. They stole some jewellery from my store and I heard they are currently in the town of Haregeon. I would like you to capture them and turn them in. Don't kill them, alright?"

"Yes. I would be happy to do it, ma'am," the girl said, starting to exit the store, her sword in hand.

••••••••••

"I swear, we don't know what the hell you're talking about!" a man with a large, grey beard shouted, putting up his hands in front of his face for defence.

"Yeah, right!" Natsu cackled. "You expect me to believe that silly story of yours? You stole some jewellery last night, correct? So, now you have to pay!"

The Salamander and Exceed finally managed to find the thief's running through a big field, trying not to get caught. So far, Natsu had taken out three of them, and two escaped, leaving just one more left.

It was pretty obvious, really. The men were out in broad daylight looking around cautiously every few seconds. Worst of all, _they were leaving a trail of jewels behind them._

Even Natsu wasn't _that_ stupid.

"Er...Hey, listen. I-I was only doing what the others told me t-to do. If I didn't listen they would, uh, kill me!" the man stammered.

Natsu grinned wickedly. "Then that doesn't matter anyway since you'll die right here!"

"Hey!" Happy said, hovering in the air above him. "You look really creepy like that Natsu! And that request said to just send 'em to prison, not kill them!"

"Yeah, yeah!" Natsu mumbled, shrugging it off. "I'm all fired up! Okay you bastard, I'll finish you-Wait, where'd he go?"

Indeed, the robber was not in front of Natsu anymore, but was running down the field as fast as he could as to not get caught.

Natsu waved his fists in the air. "Hey! That's not fair! Why you little-"

_Boom! Crash!_

Happy and Natsu's head both snapped up just in time to see a hooded figure with a red cloak on, punch the man in the stomach. He groaned and fell to the ground unconscious.

The cloaked person sighed. "Guess I was a little late. Looks like that guild already came."

Then the person turned to see Nastu running over to where she or he was standing, yelling, "I was fine by myself, you know!"

Happy appeared behind him, staring curiously at the mysterious figure. It's hood was covering most of its face, he couldn't see who it was.

Suddenly, before Natsu could reach whoever it was, the person gasped and took off running in the other direction.

But just as he or she turned around, both Happy and Natsu caught a glimpse of something bright and shiny hidden underneath its cloak.

"Wait!"

••••••••••

She had escaped. She had almost been caught by that idiot. How could she have been so stupid?

Breathing heavily, Lucy took one last glance behind her and started running once more. She nearly tripped several times, cursing as she did so.

_Crap. This isn't good. He could be here any second now. Hurry up, Lucy._

She turned another corner and-

_Wham!_

Natsu moaned, head throbbing. He had just bumped into something while running. Now he was lying face down on the concrete.

The thief's who were running away? A building? A fountain?

None of those were right, he realized, when he looked up and saw a person-a girl-about a meter from him, also on the ground, except in a sitting position rubbing her knees.

Natsu stood up, his vision a little hazy. "I-I'm sorry! I wasn't looking!"

He stuck his hand out to the girl below him, and she took it. "Thanks," she mumbled. "I'm sorry too."

She stood up, still holding his hand, face to face, when Natsu jumped back in surprise. Was he imagining things? No, he would have noticed that blonde hair and brown eyes anywhere.

"Lucy?! You're that...that person on the field a few minutes ago! You have that red cloak on!" Natsu exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

Lucy hadn't changed that much since he'd last seen her. Her hair was a little longer and was in a French braid to one side, she was had grown a bit taller, but not as tall as Natsu just yet. The rest of her was the same as before, but she looked more mature.

The girl swore, finally noticing her hood wasn't on.

_Oh great,_ she thought bitterly. _I've been caught, and by this blockhead too. He's the last person I want to see right now, and I thought I had escaped..._

She shook her head. "I, um, have to go! I've got a meeting in ten minutes!"

She hurriedly pushed past him, then suddenly, she remembered the last time she left him, the last time she left Fairy Tail, and her heart broke all over again.

Lucy gulped and shook her head. _Don't cry. You can't. You can't!_

She pulled her hood on again and ducked her head. Natsu grabbed her wrist.

"Wait," he said hurriedly, knowing that he might not see her anymore. "Fairy...Fairy Tail. Don't you miss it?"

Lucy froze and her lips opened to say that she didn't, but no words came out. She just stood there, ridged. She missed it in all honesty, but she couldn't go back. Not after all she had been through in those past six months.

"Do you want to come back?" Natsu asked.

Lucy yanked her wrist out of his grasp and turned to face him. "Listen," she hissed. "Leave. Me. Alone. I don't want to come back, and I definitely don't want to see you again. Got it? Why do you even want me to come back to the guild in the first place? So you can laugh at my expense?"

"We've all missed you. Levy, Erza, Gray, Cana, even Juvia. Everyone does," Natsu explained.

The blond haired girl leaned forward so that her face was near Natsu's ear.

"You should've thought about that before you nearly killed me."

••••••••••

"Natsu, what the heck happened to you?" Happy questioned the pink haired boy who was spacing out.

They were now in a restaurant getting lunch, and Natsu couldn't concentrate on a thing.

"I just go to get some fish and here you are, daydreaming. You really need to pay attention," the Exceed sighed.

But the only thing Natsu could pay attention to was that, in fact, it was his fault for making Lucy leave.

••••••••••

"Natsu!" Lisanna cried happily. "You're back! Are you okay?"

She ran over to Natsu who had just returned with Happy to the guild and gave him a tight hug, squashing him.

Everybody in the room chuckled quietly at the pair, except for Levy, who was still sitting at her table in the corner, this time, playing cards with Jet and Droy. She watched Natsu carefully, then after a few seconds, she laughed, amused, but not for the pair. It was for a different reason...

"Uh, Lisanna, could you please let go of me?" Natsu pleaded. She let go and he sighed in relief. He leaned down and kissed her on the cheek, but his feelings didn't exactly match him emotions.

He was tired and stressed out from seeing Lucy, and he just needed to rest. "I'm just going to go home, okay? I had to deal with a lot more problems than I thought today." He scratched the back of his head and gave her a reassuring smile.

"Oh," Lisanna said, sounding a little disappointed. "Are you sure you're okay?"

Natsu nodded. "Yeah...I'm just not feeling like myself today."

He quickly hugged her and went back outside. He had only walked a few meters away from Fairy Tail, when he heard someone call out his name from behind him. He turned around to see Levy.

"Hey Natsu!" she yelled, grinning.

"What is it?" he asked her, wondering what she could possibly want to tell him. She barely spoke to him after what he did to Lucy.

Levy ran up to him, still smiling. "I know that look in your eyes all too well," she said. "It's the look you give Lucy all the time, I just know it!"

He raised his eyebrows. "What? I do not give Lucy _a look_!" Natsu snorted, slightly embarrassed.

"Whatever," Levy said, rolling her eyes dramatically. You saw her, didn't you?"

Natsu shrugged, but he was surprised she knew all this. "I might have...Why?" he asked curiously. This was just too weird.

***Play Ending song 4 here ;)***

Levy started walking back to the guild doors, her blue hair bobbing behind her. But before she entered, she smirked, looked over her shoulder, and said in clear, strong voice:

_"Bring her back home! To Fairy Tail!"_

••••••••••

**Hi! So I know I'm not the best writer out there, and I can be pretty vague sometimes, so please bear with me. I'm trying to become better, so reviews would be greatly appreciated.**

**Love and rainbows, (?)**

**-Jennel**


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2-**

**Threats, Deals, and Knives...?!**

**"**Do we really?" Erza sighed. "I thought you told me that she clearly didn't want to."

Natsu nodded. "But we have to. Levy told me to bring her home, Erza. I promised her."

"Well, I'm game for it," Gray proclaimed, popping a piece of bread in his mouth. They were sitting at Team Natsu's table, and they were discussing on how to get Lucy back. "There's nothing to do here, anyway."

"Thanks, man." Natsu grinned. "You're not so bad sometimes."

"Ew, fire-breath. Don't get all sappy. That's just wrong."

In a matter of minutes, Gray and Natsu were fighting on the floor for what seemed like the thousandth time that day, until Erza, as usual, had to stand up and walk over to them and break the two apart.

"Natsu! Gray! "We have to find Lucy!" the redhead boomed at them. "Stop being so childish! You're both seventeen! Act like it!"

"Y-yes ma'am!" they both shouted, standing up at full attention.

"Wait, so you _do_ agree to finding Lucy with us?" he asked hopefully.

Erza paused to think for a moment. "Well, yes I suppose. After all, Lucy is a good friend of ours and we need her back on the team, but..."

She pointed a finger accusingly at Natsu. He stumbled back a little at her sudden actions. "You're the one who made her leave, so you're doing most of the work."

"Ahem."

They all turned their heads to the side to see Lisanna who had her hands on her hips, lips pursed.

"What's up?" Natsu asked her, smiling, not noticing Erza and Gray's irritated expressions.

"Um, do you think it would be wise to go after Lucy? Don't you think she has her reasons for not wanting to come back? Obviously, she doesn't like us."

The ex-quip and ice mage exchanged a look that only they could understand. They both nodded at each other and Erza cleared her throat.

"Lisanna, we understand Lucy might not like us anymore for what we or this _stupid-head_ here did." She pointed at Natsu and rolled her eyes. "But that won't stop us from finding out what she's doing and why she won't come back."

"I agree," said Natsu with a yawn. "Not with me being a stupid-head," He added quickly, shooting Erza a dirty look.

Gray just shrugged and put his hands in his pockets, or so he thought. He suddenly realized he was just wearing his boxers and yelled, "Aw, damn it!"

The youngest of the Strauss family crossed her arms, they she put her hand on Natsu's shoulder. "Oh, but please take me with you! I...I'll miss you and-"

"You'll be fine," Erza snapped, knowing what Lisanna was planning to do. "You're not a baby, right? We'll be gone for just a couple of days. Come on, we'll start packing. Gray, Natsu, let's go. _Now."_

"But-" Natsu started to say, but Gray elbowed him in the side. "Ow! What the hell is your-"

"Natsu," he hissed. "We three need to talk about something. So just shut up for five damn minutes."

Natsu took one look at how serious his friend/rival's face was and didn't say anything. He gave Lisanna an apologetic smile as Gray dragged him away.

_What's so important they have to talk about?_ he wondered. _Why are they so rude to Lisanna?_

After a few minutes, they arrived at Natsu's place. "Why _my_ house?" he whined. "Can't we go to the girl's dormitory where you live!"

"Quiet!" Erza ordered. "Stop complaining! Besides, you can't go there. It's called the girl's dormitory because it's for _girls_." She shook her head. "You're worse than Gray when it comes to that kind of stuff."

"What's that supposed to mean?!" both Natsu and Gray exclaimed at the same time.

Erza shook her head. "Never mind. Just hurry up and unlock he door!"

"I don't lock my door," Natsu said, somewhat proudly. "If someone tries to come in I'll just punch him in the face. Easy!"

"You imbecile!" Erza hit him in the back of his head. "You mean to say if Zeref came knocking on your door you wouldn't care?"

"Not really..." Natsu mumbled, and earned another bruise on the head. "Geez, I'm sorry."

Gray burst out laughing. "That's Erza for you."

"What did you say?"

"Nothing, nothing!"

"Good. Now hurry up you numbskulls before it's too late!"

••••••••••

"Ugh...Don't you ever clean your own house?" Erza asked Natsu, disgusted. So far she had almost sat on a half-eaten grilled cheese sandwich that was on the floor. She kicked it away, grimacing.

"If you have a problem with his house," the black haired ice mage said, "you don't want to see my room. Ever."

"What did you two want to talk about again?" the dragon slayer inquired, eagerly.

His two friends gave each other another look. Natsu stared at them impatiently. "Well? What are you going to tell me? And why are you so mean to Lisanna sometimes?"

"It's not that we told you before..." Erza started to say, carefully choosing her words.

"...it's just that we didn't tell you because you might think we hate your girlfriend," Gray finished the sentence.

"You see, Lisanna is, well, how do I put it? _Jealous_."

"Of what?" Natsu said. "Is it because I spend more time with you guys than her?"

Gray sighed. "It's not _what_, it's _who_."

"Huh?"

"Oh for Pete's sake!" Erza cried out. "She's jealous of _Lucy_!"

Silence.

"So? How can she be jealous of Lucy when she's not even here?"

"Natsu! Has it ever occurred to you that you talk about Lucy more than Lisanna?" she questioned, tapping her foot on the ground, waiting for an answer.

"Woah," Natsu said, holding his hands up in the air defensively. "I _do not_ talk about Lucy more than my girlfriend."

"Sure you do," Gray said. "Last week, after Levy told you to bring Lucy back, you kept mumbling to yourself about how she looked and stuff."

Natsu turned away, embarrassed. "Cut it out! You're turning into that bookworm, telling me I always have Lucy on my mind!"

"Because you do," Erza pointed out. "Anyways, the point is, Lisanna wanted to come along, right? She clearly wants to ruin the trip and make sure we don't find her! Lisanna knows that you still care about Lucy!"

"It's true, man. Don't get me wrong, we don't hate the girl, but come on, the boss is right, she's jealous."

Natsu turned to face his friends again. "But Luce is just my best friend!" he protested. "Used to, anyways..."

"Whatever you say," Erza said. "But Natsu, please don't let Lisanna tag along. It's for the better."

"Yeah, yeah..."

"It's settled then!" Gray announced. "We leave tonight!"

"Who said that you're in charge?" Erza said sharply, giving him an evil glare. He muttered an apology under his breath.

"Tonight? Don't you think that's a little soon?" Natsu said lazily. "Can't we leave tomorrow."

"The sooner the better. And you saw Lucy yesterday, right? Now that she knows that we know she's out there, Lucy is probably leaving Hargeon today or tomorrow."

"Wait...what?"

Erza and Gray groaned.

••••••••••

"All aboard! The train will be leaving in six minutes!"

At exactly 6:00 a.m in the morning, Team Natsu had boarded the train going to Hargeon. They were all feeling nervous to see Lucy, especially Gray and Erza, since this was their first time seeing her in half a year.

"I'm...not...feeling...well," Natsu gagged, his face turning green. He covered his mouth to prevent himself from puking.

"The train hasn't even started yet," Gray noted, nodding outside.

"Ah, leave him," Erza told him. "We shan't be traveling far."

"Shan't?" Gray snickered. "Who uses that word nowadays?"

"Are you saying that it is wrong for someone to use words like that? If Juvia said that would you correct her?" Erza growled.

"I wasn't correcting you, I was just-Wait, what made you bring up _Juvia_?"

Erza eyed him suspiciously. "She _is_ your girlfriend, right? Hold it! Are you _cheating on her?!"_

"What?!" Gray sputtered, shocked. "I'm not dating that psycho! I don't even like her! Who the hell told you that?"

"That's what they all say..." she stated. "Tell Natsu to go throw up outside."

_You didn't answer my question though,_the ice mage thought, but decided not to say anything. He sucked in his breath and grabbed the Natsu by the collar of his shirt, (he looked like he was about to die) and dragged him into the next train cart.

"Boys these days." Erza shook her head. "So stupid sometimes. Including you, Jellal."

••••••••••

Lucy hadn't left Hargeon yet. In fact, she had remained calm after seeing her pink haired, ex-best friend. She wasn't worried if all of Fairy Tail was looking for her at the moment. If they came, she could simply slaughter them all. But of course, that wouldn't happen. She couldn't hurt them, she couldn't show them, she couldn't tell them.

Not unless _he_ came. Lucy would definitely kill him with _it_, considering that he was responsible for _her_ death. Yet, she was not fleeing from the town like a scared little child. No, she would fight them with just her bare fists if she had to.

She was no longer Lucy Heartfilia, the girl who had to always be saved, the girl who couldn't handle problems on her own.

No, she was Lucy Heartfilia, the girl who would no longer cry in front of some mage who was not worthy of her presence. She would no longer cry or feel sad if one of her friends came to find her again. Seeing Natsu was the last time she would let herself cry. The last time...

After seeing that freak, Lucy had run to the nearest forest and let the tears flow down her pale cheeks. No more after that. She would not cry. Never ever.

She solemnly promised that she would remain strong from then on. But lots of people forget that promises can easily be broken, and Lucy was one of them.

••••••••••

"Natsu! Why do you have to be such an idiotic person! Just great! Look what you've done!" Erza yelled.

"Now that was probably the dumbest move that I've seen you make," Gray agreed. He basically just went along with whatever Erza said, whether it was true or not. He didn't want to be killed. But this time, Gray thought it wasn't that big of a deal, but he still kept his mouth shut.

Natsu grumbled. _I didn't do anything harmful,_he thought._Did I destroy the town? No. Did I kill somebody? Definitely not. All I did was...I..._

"_You ate my strawberry cake!_" Erza screamed, her face flushed with anger.

"Oh, geez..." Gray muttered under his breath. "Uh, Erza? The more we stand here debating on how much you love cake, the less time we'll have to find Lucy."

That stopped the redhead from tearing apart Natsu, limb from limb. "Ahem. Yes. Er...Let's keep going, shall we?"

The two boys slumped their shoulders. At this rate, it could take forever to find the blond haired mage. They left the café they were in and headed out, Erza leading them. They shielded their faces from the bright rays of sunlight shining in their eyes as they continued walking down the cobblestone path of Hargeon.

At one point, Erza turned around to face her friends. "Listen. We are going to have to ask a few people around here if they've seen Lucy. It's almost impossible to find her if there's no clue to her whereabouts. Furthermore, we can't be sure she's even here in this town anymore. Let's split up, and see what we can do."

If any of us sees her, give send up an air signal with your magic. Keep a sharp eye out. And Natsu," she spat out his name like it was a disease, "don't do anything stupid. Gray, don't freeze the floor, got it? I'll keep walking forward. One of you goes down that path, and another goes down that alleyway."

"Yes ma'am."

Soon they had gone separate ways, and the sun was starting to set over the horizon. Natsu was in a foul mood at the time. He was upset with Erza for yelling at him for no reason, he was sick of Gray who always seemed to annoy him, and he was definitely mad at them for talking about Lisanna like they had done last night.

"Ah, screw this!" he shouted in frustration, and kicked a few pebbles on the ground with his foot, causing unwanted attention from the townsfolk passing by him. "It's been almost an hour and no luck!"

Natsu had tried to find Lucy's scent, but he couldn't pick it up. He paced around for a few minutes, wondering if he should go find the others, but he was still pissed off at them. Thinking he should find a place for them to stay, he headed in the direction where he came from. But then he heard the faint sound of a crash come from afar. His head snapped up just in time to see two swords in the air, clanking against each other loudly. No doubt it was Erza.

_She found Lucy already?_Natsu wondered. He felt somewhat happy, but a little stressed out at the same time. What would she think if she saw him again? He knew he had to be there in a short amount of time, or else Erza would throw a fit at him for being so slow.

The swords in the air disappeared, and the town grew eerily quiet again. Most of the people in the town had gone home to rest, so all Natsu could hear was the _slap slap_sound his shoes made as he ran.

"Yo, Natsu!" Gray had appeared behind him, and started running alongside him. "You saw?"

"Yeah I did!" Natsu replied back. "That was faster than we thought, eh?" They were almost there. From the dark, Natsu could make out a group of figures a few meters away.

"What took you so long!"

"Who is th-God, Erza, you scared me!" Gray screamed. She was hiding behind a bush, eying the strangers who were talking about something.

"Come back here!" she whispered, motioning them over. "Quick!"

The boys shuffled toward her, entered the bushes and squatted down on either side of her. "What's going on?" Natsu asked quietly. "And why are we hiding?"

Erza pointed to one of the figures in the distance. The ice mage and fire mage both squinted at who she was pointing to.

"Lucy," they both mouthed at one another in perfect unison.

Yes, Lucy was there, wearing the same red cloak as before, but her hood wasn't on. It looked like she was in some kind of argument with the other people near her.

"They're all men," Erza said. "It's kind of hard to tell."

"Why don't we go up to her?" Natsu asked. "Wait. I think I recognize those faces." He squinted even more. "Those are the thief's I saw earlier!

"So?"

"They're obviously mad at her! She punched one of them in the stomach, I think."

One of the men, middle-aged and the tallest of them all, with a greying beard and shaggy hair, grabbed Lucy by the wrist. He threw her across the floor, and she rolled over. She stood up and brushed a bit of gravel on her left cheek. Her black leggings had a few tears in them along with her cloak now.

Lucy narrowed her eyes. "That wasn't the best way to get me to give you my money," she said.

"We won't let you get away with punching me!" another man yelled. He examined his stomach, where Lucy had attacked him. "You have to pay!"

"It was just a little kick," Lucy scoffed. "Surely you could have handled it you moron."

"But it's six against one." The tallest smirked, crossing his arms. "You're just a little girl."

Lucy gritted her teeth. "Do you have a death wish?" she growled, her voice low and menacing. She fingered something strapped to the brown belt she was wearing with two hands. She steadied herself, getting ready to fight.

"We need to help her!" Natsu whispered. He sprang out from behind the bushes, but Erza yanked him back in.

"Not now! Let's see what she does!"

"What's that you have there?" a broad shouldered man said. "You can't fight us with celestial spirits. They're too weak! You're weak! Are they your shield?"

A memory of Natsu calling her weak flashed through her mind, and Lucy lowered her head. "I don't call them anymore," she replied slowly.

"Oh? Alright then, let's see what you got. You can make the first move."

The blonde mage smirked. "Don't mind if I do."

There was a bright flash of white, then a howl of pain. Natsu, Erza and Gray all leaned forward as much as possible to see what was going on. One of the men, the skinniest of the group, fell to the ground, clutching his blood covered arm. Lucy had just thrown a seven inch long dagger at him with no hesitation. She smiled mischievously. "Who's next?"

Gray, Erza, and Natsu all saw this, their jaws were wide open, and their eyes were as big as saucers. "She doesn't even look the slightest bit sorry," Gray said, biting his lip. "What's up with that?"

"It's like...she's a completely different person," Erza said. "Lucy never did that to people."

Natsu just watched what was happening carefully. There was something off about Lucy, and it wasn't the way she dressed or the fact she just stabbed a man in the arm.

"You're crazy!" all five of the wounded man's friends exclaimed. Lucy stared at all of them in turn. She shrugged.

"You told me to make the first move, so I did. Leave or next time it's the heart," Lucy said firmly and held up another dagger of the same length. She pressed her finger to the tip of it, drawing blood from her own flesh. The small amount of red fluid slowly worked it's way down the sides of the blade.

"Or maybe I should carve a design into your pretty faces. That would be _much_ better, don't you think?"

The group of men had a look of alarm on their faces. "W-we're sorry for bothering you, miss. We'll leave now," they all stammered at different times.

Then they took off running, carrying the injured man along with them. Lucy put her dagger back in her belt and sighed.

Team Natsu just stared at her from their hiding place, horrified. Though Erza didn't look as fazed as Natsu and Gray.

Suddenly, Lucy's head jerked in their direction. She walked over to the bushes they were hiding in. They sucked in the cool, midnight air, their faces pale. She stood a meter away from them, then said, "I know you're there. You can come out now."

_How did she know we were here?_ Erza thought. _That's amazing._

First, she hesitantly stood up, leaves stuck to her hair. She took a deep breath. "I'm deeply sorry for eavesdropping on-"

Lucy held up her hand. "Save it," she snapped. "Gray, Natsu. Come out this instant."

Gray popped up behind Erza, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head. "Uh, hi Lucy."

Then Natsu came up. He faked a laugh. "Hey, Luce! Haven't seen you in...hours. H-how have you been?"

Lucy frowned. "What are you doing here?" she demanded, her gaze never leaving them.

"We wanted to see what you were up to," Erza said. It wasn't exactly a lie, but it was only half true.

"You're lying," Lucy said. "I can tell. You guys are an open book. Now leave before I hurt you too."

She started to walk away from them, twisting the end of her braid as she did so.

"We need you."

"_Excuse me?_" Lucy said sharply, turning back around to see Erza crossed her arms.

"I said that we need you back on Team Natsu," she repeated, a little more loudly.

"Back to the guild," Gray added, grinning at Lucy.

"Like I said before, it's just not the same without you," Natsu said. Erza put her arms around her two friends shoulders, making them flinch.

"That's right. We came to get you back, and we aren't leaving until you agree to it."

Lucy shook her head. "Thanks for the offer, but I don't like to work in groups anymore. If that's all you have to say, I'll be going."

"Please Lucy!" Gray pleaded! "We'll do _anything!"_

"He's right. We owe you our life. Making someone quit a guild is something we must have not done. If there's anything we can help you do, we will." The ex-quip mage nodded in agreement with Gray.

Natsu didn't speak and just kept on staring at Lucy. _What's she trying to hide?_He may not be smart sometimes, but Natsu knew her all too well.

Lucy put a finger to her chin, deep in thought. There was something they could do and she couldn't do it alone. But the more she thought about the guild, the more she got worried. Would they be capable of doing the job? It was tough, but it was her only option of getting rid of the curse.

"Okay...I'll join you guys again. But you have to promise, no matter what, you'll do what I ask," she finally said, making up her mind.

"Great!" Erza exclaimed, smiling happily. Gray to tousled his hair, doing the same as her. Natsu just chuckled and did a thumbs-up with his hand.

"Then it's settled! You're coming home with us!"

"Home?" Lucy had always considered Fairy Tail her home, but it just felt so weird to hear it. "Right. Should we go now?"

"That would be a good choice. I bet you that everyone's eager to see you again. By the way, what have you been doing in those six months you were gone?" Erza asked curiously.

"I'll explain when we get there," Lucy answered. "Uh, how about all my stuff?"

"Whatever, we'll get it later," Natsu said. "You've gotta see how many things changed at the guild! I'm not even used to all of it yet!"

_Just how much changed while I was gone? Are there any new members? Did the Master retire?_

They started walking back to Fairy Tail, despite how late it was.

"So, what did you want us to do?"

Startled, Lucy jumped a little. Everyone have her a strange look. Her face turned red. "Er, sorry. Well, I was kinda hoping I could tell you guys in a little while. It's just really personal, is all."

"Alright, I guess." Erza moved her shoulders up and down. "I'm just glad you're coming back."

Natsu suddenly remembered something. "Oh, yeah! Erza, why did you bang you're swords in the air really loud? Couldn't Lucy just hear it?"

"No, it's a new technique I learned so only the people who I want can see and hear it."

"Okay...?"

Lucy chuckled, but then her expression turned into a serious one.

_How powerful is everyone now after half a year? Did they get stronger?_

She gulped. She couldn't think about that just yet. How was she going to tell them about_her_powers? It was risky to go with them, but she had to.

But as they were nearing the guild, nervousness built up inside of Lucy.  
They arrived at the doors of Fairy Tail, but the outside was the same as last time.

Just what were the 'changes' Natsu talking about?

Lucy stepped into the guild hall, the bright lights from the ceiling blinding her. "What the-?"

••••••••••

**So yeah…As you can tell, I am horrible at fighting scenes….**

**Love and cherries,**

**-Jennel**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 3**

**A Warning in White and Dark Blue**

"_Lucy-chan?_!"

Before she could interpret what was happening, Lucy was being crushed by a very energetic Levy. The Solid Script mage glanced over at Natsu who was beside Lucy, and smiled gratefully. He caught her gaze and gave her a thumbs up.

"L-Levy? Can't...breathe..."

She giggled and quickly released the blonde mage. "Oops. Sorry! Just got excited there! What are you doing here?"

_I'm here to get help on how to break a terrible curse I have._ Of course, Lucy wished she could say that, but instead she just replied, "Oh, you know. Just visiting you guys for a little while, that's all."

"Are you going to join the guild again?" Levy asked hopefully. Lucy didn't want to say no. She really did want to stay, but that wasn't an option.

"No. Sorta, I guess. I'm only re-joining the guild for, like I said, not too long. A week, perhaps."

Levy's smile faded a bit. "Oh. How come?"

Lucy didn't say anything. She didn't want to reveal her secret just yet. When the time was right, she would tell them, but for now, it would be wise not to say anything. Realizing that she wouldn't say why, Levy just sighed. Did she do something wrong?

"Anyways, I'm just glad that you're back!" she exclaimed, trying to break some of the awkward tension between them. Lucy gave her a sad smile then faced the rest of the guild members.

They all stared at her, not knowing what to do. Was she back to get revenge of some sort? That wasn't it. Was she truly just visiting? Mirajane, who was behind the counter, smiled as usual. "Great to see you again, Lucy. How've you been?"

"I've been fine I suppose," Lucy replied. "Hey, is everyone just going to stare at me?" She smirked and placed her hands on her hips. Suddenly, everyone snapped out of their trance and soon the room burst into cheers. Macao, Juvia, Cana, Happy, Wendy, Evergreen, Freed, Pantherlily, Alzack, Bisca, Jet, Droy, Reedus, Laki, Romeo, and the rest of the gang all crowded around her.

"Did you get taller?"

"Uh..."

"Want some alcohol?"

"No, Cana, I don't."

"Did love-rival finally stop crushing on Gray-sama?"

"I didn't like him in the first place!"

"What's with the school uniform?"

"It's comfy, alright?"

"Are you wearing makeup?"

"Why the heck would you want to know that?"

"Did you join another guild?"

"No, I didn't."

"Did you get a boyfriend already?"

"_Mira!_"

Lucy sweatdropped and waved her hands in front of her face. "Uh, hold on you guys. Give me some space, would you?" Everyone took a few steps back and Lucy sighed. "Look, it's late and I'm tired. Can I just go and I'll see you guys tomorrow? What are you guys doing up at this time anyway?"

Levy snorted and crossed her arms "Like you're the one to talk. So...Did you finish writing your novel?"

"Where were you?"

"Did you make new friends?"

"Want something to drink?"

"Do you still remember me?"

"Can I dye your hair brown?"

"You _do_ have a boyfriend, right?"

Lucy's right eye twitched and she balled up her fists. "_EVERYBODY SHUT UP!_Erza, I'm going now!"

Erza, who was behind Lucy, raised both her eyebrows. "And you're telling me this, why?"

Lucy threw her hands up in the air. "Oh, I don't know! Have a good night!" she yelled, frustrated. She stormed out of the room with a huff, the door slamming behind her.

Levy turned to Mirajane and laughed. "We went a little overboard, didn't we?"

Mira smiled. "Hey, if that girl won't tell me if she has a boyfriend, I don't care what she does."

••••••••••

"Those guys really know how to get on my nerves," Lucy said to herself. She had found a nearby inn and decided to stay there until she could afford a house in Magnolia. But what would be the point, if she wasn't staying there long? "Honestly, can't they wait till tomorrow? It's already two o'clock in the morning!"

Lucy inhaled and exhaled, trying to calm down. "If it keeps up I might as well just die."

She kicked off her shoes, untangled her French braid, and crawled into bed, not even bothering to change into her pyjamas. She lay there and just stared up at the ceiling, thinking.

Could she really find him in time? One week...Within a week she had to find him. It would be hard, she could tell. Not one of the guild members seemed strong enough to beat him.

_Don't worry Arito, I'll rid you of this world, just you wait and see. Then I can finally live in peace._

_••••••••••_

"Honestly, Natsu. I don't see why you had to bring her back. I mean, you're the one who kicked her out in the first place."

Natsu stopped what he was doing and sighed. "I know, but it's just that everyone seemed really sad when Lucy was away, so I thought, you know..."

Lisanna pouted and tapped her foot on the ground. "Fine, but don't you go getting any ideas, if you know what I mean."

"What ideas?" Natsu asked innocently, then he remembered what Erza and Gray had said yesterday. _She's jealous of Lucy. "_Er...Don't worry, I won't." He kissed the top of her head and she smiled.

"Good. I'll see you later!" Lisanna skipped toward Mirajane. "I'm going on a job! Don't worry about me, 'kay?"

"Yeah, whatever."

"Natsu!"

"Uh, take care!"

"Sheesh...You're so weird! Bye!"

"Bye."

Natsu sighed. It was really weird being in a relationship. He didn't even really want to date Lisanna. It just...happened. She confessed to him about three weeks ago, saying that she liked him. Natsu thought she meant 'like as a friend,' not 'like, like.' He only realized until about five days ago, but he didn't want to tell her that.

Soon, Lucy had arrived at the guild, and she yawned lazily as she entered. She had barely gotten any sleep last night, but she was eager to get there early. Not that she was going to admit it to anyone. She ignored some members who were trying to talk to her, including Natsu.

"Hey Lucy! You wanna have an eating contest with me!" he yelled.

"Would you be quiet?" Lucy snapped. "And no thank you."

She walked over to the bar where Mirajane worked, like she used to always do. She looked up from a magazine she was reading. "What's up Lucy?" she asked her kindly.

"I was wondering if you could put the Fairy Tail mark on me again," Lucy said. A few days after Lucy left, her mark slowly faded away, stating that she had quit, so now she needed a new one. Mirajane nodded and went to get the stamp. She returned a few minutes later with it and motioned for Lucy to put come closer.

"Give me your hand please."

Lucy laid her right hand on the counter, but she quickly changed her mind. She didn't want people to know she had joined a guild.

"Something wrong?" Mirajane asked. She smiled. "You don't want it on your hand like last time? Choose carefully then, because you can only do this once unless you want to remove it with your own power, and that hurts."

She gave it a little thought, then said, "Could you put it on the left side of my neck please?"

"Sure," Mira replied. Lucy sat down at the bar across Mirajane, and pulled her hair into a ponytail to expose her neck. She propped her elbow on the counter and rested her chin on her palm. Mirajane pressed the stamp firmly on the left side of Lucy's neck. "Sorry, did that hurt?"

"A little," said Lucy, "but it's okay." Then she saw Mirajane frown with a confused look on her face. "What is it?"

"You're guild mark...It's, um..." Mira pointed to Lucy's neck. "I wonder if that's normal."

"Do you have a mirror?"

"Yeah, it's in the back room just over there."

She thanked her and rushed to door Mira had pointed at. She pushed it open and turned on the lights. Leaning against one of the walls, stood a full-length mirror with a simple, black, rectangular frame. What could possibly be wrong with her guild mark?

She stared at herself in the mirror for a while before turning sideways to look at the left side of her neck. Lucy gasped and tried not to scream. Her guild mark was made up of two colours: dark blue and white. The colours looked like water, and they seemed to be moving inside the Fairy Tail mark as if battling eachother. First, there was more blue than white, then there was more white than blue. Lucy was terrified. She knew what it meant. Quickly yanking her hair out of her ponytail, she used it to cover up the mark. This wasn't good.

She burst out of the room and ran behind the counter where Mirajane was. Lucy grabbed her by the shoulders with a look of alarm on her face. "Lucy? Lucy, what's wrong?" Mira questioned, her voice laced with concern.

"Listen to me," Lucy said intently. "Promise me you'll never tell anyone about my guild mark. Heck, pretend you didn't see it. Okay, Mira? Please?"

"But what if-"

"No," Lucy growled. "I'm in big trouble already. I knew I shouldn't have come here. That mark is a warning. I can't stay here for longer than I need to. You just didn't see it."

Mirajane was about to protest, but Lucy looked more worried than ever. "Yeah, sure. I won't tell a soul. But can't you just remove it if it bothers you so much?"

"I doubt it," Lucy whispered. "Do you think you can gather everyone here later for an important meeting? I need to tell you guys something."

Mira blinked in confusion. This was really strange. "Are you worried that the mark doesn't suit your clothes or something?"

"Of course not!" Lucy said. "Just don't tell anyone until tonight. Promise?"

"Y-Yeah. Of course."

"Good."

Lucy needed time to think. Was she ready to tell them? It was awefully early, but now that her guild mark had those colours, there was nothing stopping her from doing so.

"Lucy!" Erza called out. She was with Gray and Natsu and Happy. They seemed to be discussing something.

"Yeah?" Lucy said, walking over to them, trying to maintain her cool. "What is it?"

"You want to join Team Natsu again?" Erza asked her. "It would be great and all."

"Is it because I stabbed someone with a knife?" Lucy scoffed, rolling her eyes. She hoped that they didn't notice her guild mark.

"Not really," Gray said. "It's just not the same.

"Yeah! It's totally because you almost killed someone!" Natsu exclaimed without thinking. "Oops."

Erza gritted her teeth. "Think. Before. You. Speak."

"Did you just say 'totally?' " Happy joked, trying hard not to laugh.

"I'm solo."

"What?" Erza asked, her attention on the blonde again. "Solo?"

Lucy nodded. "Mmhmm. That means I don't fight in groups. I may be part of a guild now, but I fight by myself."

"Really?" Happy said. "Because you don't look all that strong-OUCH! Erza, why did you hit me!"

"Both you and Natsu need to learn how to keep your mouth shut," she said sternly. "Got it?"

"Yes."

"Anyways, that's okay. May I see your guild mark?"

_Crap_.

"Ahem," Mirajane said, appearing behind Lucy. "Lucy got her guild mark on her back, and I'm afraid she doesn't like to show her skin, right?"

"R-Right!" Lucy stammered. Mira winked at her and Lucy smiled.

"And guys," Mira continued, "we're having a meeting here at six o'clock pm sharp. Don't be late."

"You bet," Erza said approvingly. "That's okay Lucy. I understand. I don't like to show a lot of skin either."

"Riiight."

**So the changes Natsu was talking about...There were many, but you don't know what Natsu meant by that yet...**


End file.
